Malletts Bay Avenue will likely reopen ahead of schedule, according to Kevin McAleer, who is managing a culvert replacement project for the Colchester Department of Public Works.

Originally scheduled for completion on Sept. 9, the project might beat that deadline by two weeks — although multiple factors could affect the road's reopening, McAleer wrote in a news release.

The popular commuter route has been closed to traffic since July 18, to the consternation of motorists, neighbors and at least one local business.

"The remaining items are primarily site work related, such as curbing, grading, backfill and paving," McAleer added.

Damage to the bottom line at Sammy's Quick Stop will persist into the fall, said Kunal Saini, who owns and operates Sammy’s Quick Stop, a few hundred yards south of the worksite.

Buy Photo

Kunal Saini, right, takes a phone call while helping a customer at Sammy's Quick Stop on Mallets Bay Avenue in Winooski.
The store, which Saini co-owns, sits just south of the Colchester town line.
Photographed July 11, 2016.(Photo: JOEL BANNER BAIRD/FREE PRESS)